1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved communication system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for automatically selecting outgoing voicemail messages for incoming telephone calls based on call log data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Innovations in communications technologies have made a wide range of enhanced communications services available to customers. For example, a customer may dial a telephone number at the press of a key by using speed-dialing, retrieve a telephone number for a missed call, view a telephone number of an incoming call on a display by using caller identification (caller ID), and send or retrieve a voice message by using voicemail. A communications provider often provides these services through a network such as an intelligent services network (ISN) that is privately owned but that works in conjunction with the public switched telephone network (PSTN). These services also may be offered by a dedicated device, such as a telephone with advanced electronics.
Caller ID services allow for the identification of the originating call. The information sent to the receiving subscriber line includes the date, time, and calling number. Also, the name associated with the calling number is sometimes included with the information.
Voicemail systems allow callers the option to leave voicemail messages for parties who are unavailable to answer an incoming call. When an incoming call to a customer's telephone cannot be completed, the incoming call may be switched to and processed by the voicemail system. Voicemail customers may create voice greetings that are played when the customer is not available to answer an incoming call. However, voicemail customers infrequently change outgoing voicemail messages. As a result, callers hear the same outgoing voicemail message over and over again, which wastes the caller's time and may cause the caller to incur additional connection time charges. Currently, voicemail systems are not able to automatically select or change the outgoing voice messages for incoming calls.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an improved computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for allowing a voicemail system within a communication network to change outgoing voicemail messages based upon call log data and caller ID.